A photography enthusiast with a side of quirky, delicious food in Sydney, Australia

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Le Caravelle, Canley Heights

I apologise for the poor quality in photography in the following post. I must have got carried away with the thought of gelato! :P

Something I am probably incapable to understand is how the overly pretentious Holy Basil still gets lines out the door every single night. No it is not okay to stand out in the cold waiting for Thai food for an hour! I’m only kidding though. But I’m dead serious when I say that the amount of people who wait outside on a Sunday night is enough to fill the Tan Viet restaurant down the road. NOT EVEN A HYPERBOLE GUYS. NOT EVEN.

Crowds at the sister restaurant, Holy Basil

What brings me to talk about my love hate relationship with Holy Basil is that Le Caravelle is actually the sister store. If you don’t know, Holy Basil decided to open ice-cream parlour/tapas restaurant next store.

In all actuality, Le Caravelle is quite stunning. Unlike its Thai counterpart, it’s decorated with luxurious European flair, the chandeliers decked out with Victorian furniture. But really it is the gelato parlour itself which catches the glistening eyes of onlookers with an interesting array of flavours with the actual ingredients acting as decor. For example, the coconut pandan flavour has an actual coconut on it. Imaginative really.

The staff are kind and attentive, asking me if I would like to trial (and not making me feel bad when I said yes! :P). After tasting the salted caramel and the coconut pandan, which both were very sweet, I settled on the Tiramisu flavour because really I tira-miss-u tiramisu (had to #soznotsoz). After the first few bites, the liquor starts to not be as overwhelming. Freshly made gelato, I liked how it was really smooth and dense flavour to it, as in the flavour is there.

Tiramisu (one flavour) – $4.50

Because I’m sick (don’t jugde; I heart gelato in any condition), I was unable to taste my dad’s purchase which was taro flavour. All he said that it was too sweet. Obviously we’re related tastebuds wise.

Taro (one scoop) – $4.50 (what is with that random bright spot…)

Also Le Caravelle (although I only ate gelato there because I had an awesome dinner at Tan Viet hehehe) serves tapas (which are small Spanish dishes) as well as the traditional staples- ribs, steak and pasta. Having a look at its facebook page, I look forward to taste testing their savoury dish range. Ultimately, it’s a great place for a catch up with friends. Perhaps alongside house made desserts and cafe drinks? Churros anyone?

A part of the menu on offer! A little blurry though but I do believe that there is a set menu as well available instore! Ah vintage frames :)

Next time my friend, next time….

Crunch time (for the busy taco) – Le Caravelle

Describe it in five words
Gelato, coffee, desserts, modern, friendly

How do I get there?BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Bus (from Canley Vale or Cabramatta) to Canley Heights and then walk up (it’s next to Holy Basil)
BY CAR
Mario Kart it to: 233a Canley Vale Rd, Canley Height, Sydney, NSW 2166

Why should I go?
Honestly, compared to What the Fudge across the road, I like Le Caravelle’s gelato better. Perhaps I’m being an ice-cream snob, but gelato generally has a more rich flavour and smooth texture. Although they do serve savoury dishes, this is definitely a dessert joint, with also offering frozen yoghurt (froyo for the tweens). In addition, Le Caravelle also sell Holy Basil’s infamous reconstructed fried ice-cream, so it’s a great choice to ditch the queues and indugle in filo-pastry heaven!